ON  SOME  PROPERTIES  OF  FORMIC  ACID.  331 
Spring  and  Pleasant  Valley,  though  their  owners  have  sufficient 
presence  of  mind  to  keep  their  immediate  whereabouts  secret ; 
but,  suffice  to  say,  the  spring  and  summer  will  make  a  thorough 
exposition.  There  is  no  doubt  that  this  country  (South-eastern 
Idaho)  will  soon  equal  Boise  and  Ruby  districts  in  mineral 
products. 
The  Reveille  says :  The  subjoined  notes  of  a  trip  hence  to 
Silver  Peak  by  Mr.  Scrimgeour,  will  be  found  interesting. 
The  distance  between  Austin  and  Silver  Peak  is  156  miles 
nearly  due  south.  After  passing  through  the  canon  on  the 
summit,  the  roads  are  remarkably  good.  The  descent  from  the 
summit  to  the  great  south  basin  is  gradual  up  to  within  five 
miles  of  the  point,  when  it  increases  rapidly.  We  estimated 
the  basin  to  be  about  1,000  feet  below  Smoky  Valley.  This 
remarkable  salt  basin  lies  ten  to  twelve  miles  west  of  the  Peak — 
a  prominent  point  in  the  mountain  range  containing  a  plain 
twenty-five  miles  long  with  an  average  breadth  of  five  miles. 
It  is  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  high  ranges  of  mountain,  and  its 
margin  is  as  smooth  as  any  sea  beach.  Viewed  from  an  eleva- 
tion, it  resembles  a  frozen  lake,  with  its  surface  covered  with 
snow,  and  the  illusion  is  aided  by  several  masses  of  limestone — 
its  icebergs — rising  from  its  surface  to  a  height  of  about  200 
feet.  The  surface  of  the  basin  has  a  coating  of  salt  nearly  six 
inches  thick.  A  portion  of  the  northern  end  is  now  covered 
with  water,  which,  however,  becomes  dry  in  summer.  Near  the 
western  shore  of  this  lake  or  basin  there  are  two  large  boiling 
hot  salt  springs — one  of  which  is  very  active — producing  an  in- 
exhaustible supply  of  salt  in  large  beautiful  crystals.  This 
valuable  property  belongs  to  the  mill  company  which  had  the 
spirit  and  enterprise  to  pioneer  that  section  of  the  country. — 
Drug.  Circ,  May,  1866. 
ON  SOME  PROPERTIES  OF  FORMIC  ACID. 
By  M.  F.  V.  Jodin. 
Beer  yeast  and  many  other  cellular  beings  belonging  to  the 
simplest  types  of  the  fungi  family  may  be  classed  between  the 
animal  and  vegetable.  As  vegetables  they  extract  their  nitrogen 
